The common Nettle (Urtica dioica), a herbaceous perennial found throughout the UK, is often seen as a garden nuisance. However, beneath its stinging exterior lies a versatile wild food source packed with nutrients. Nettle leaves are enjoyed for their earthy flavour and impressive vitamin and mineral content. However, there are many variations of Nettles, and their "purity" can differ depending on where they are grown, and how they are produced.
With commercially grown Nettles lining supermarket shelves, is there a benefit to venturing beyond the pre-packaged convenience offered to us by big tea companies?
The Purity of Stinging Nettles
The purity of Nettles depends on the quality of the soil they are grown in and its exposure to pollutants. Here's what to consider when purchasing Nettle Tea:
Soil Quality: Nutrient-rich soil promotes healthy nettle growth. Consider whether the producer grows the Nettles in organic fertiliser, to ensure the Nettles get the vitamins and minerals they need.
Contaminants: Make sure the grower has avoided harvesting nettles from areas near busy roads, industrial sites, or heavily sprayed fields. These areas may contain pollutants like lead or pesticides that can accumulate in the leaves.
Large-scale production over flavour: Commercial growers often prioritise large-scale production over flavour and purity. Here's where the magic of Wild Cornish Tea homegrown Nettles really shines.
Freshness Unmatched: Supermarket nettles travel long distances and may be pre-chopped, and dusty, compromising their vibrant flavour and nutritional value. Our homegrown Nettles, harvested at peak freshness, offer an unparalleled taste experience.
We have recently conducted a flavour experiment, using the main UK Nettle Tea brands, and ours. We've tested their 'intensity' based on flavour. Brewing each brand in clear glass to assess the colour and appearance, and also water clarity. We also cut each tea bag open to see how dry or fresh the processed leaves were, and how green each variant was. While it's not been possible to test the “ethical” rating of each brand, based on the environmental growing methods. We are pretty sure Wild Cornish Tea comes top, as our homegrown (UK) leaves have travelled the least air miles, in fact NO air miles! At this point it's worth mentioning most mass-market brands harvest their Nettles from Eastern Europe, or Egypt. We can verify our Nettles win on flavour, freshness, and colour. They are rich green and packed with chlorophyll, therefore containing higher levels of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. If you're interested in seeing the results, take a look at the photographs below:
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